Lucky
by hoppip
Summary: He's lucky he's in love with his best friend. He's lucky he's been where he has been. Most of all, he's lucky that he realized without that stubborn, selfless redhead, anywhere he goes would be nowhere, all thanks to a pot of messed up ginger ale. AAML


**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own pokemon or the song "Lucky". However, I do own the plot to this story.

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**LUCKY**

_Jason Mraz ft. Colbie Cailla_t

By Hoppip

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At age 16, Ash Ketchum made it to the semi-finals in the Sinnoh league. He beat Paul, and all of those other amazing trainers. But Barry's Empoleon was too much for his Pikachu after all the intense battling. But in the end, it was Nando who gained the title of Sinnoh's league champion. He's now on his way to battle the elite four. Ash still remembered his intense battle with Barry. They were both on the top of their game. But both of them were impatient with the constant ties in their 6 on 6 battle. It was the final dual between Pikachu and Empoleon that determined who was going to be in the finals. But the hardcore clash between the final Hydro Cannon and Volt tackle sent both Pokemon flying. It was Ash's Pikachu who fell to the ground first.

After the battle, Ash wasn't as positive as he was when he lost 5 years ago. He had congratulated Barry with a façade, who grinned like an idiot in return.

There was something missing. There wasn't a fiery girl nagging him about what he did was stupid. There was not an annoying redhead yelling from the bleachers and constantly swearing to cheer him on. There was not a hot tempered friend running out to the battlefield, hitting him with her mallet as she brought his spirit back when he lost faith in winning before the referee comes and drags her back to the bleachers, brutally bruised. There was no Misty hugging him and saying "you did great" whether he won or lost.

Then it hit him. He needed her. Sure Dawn in her cute little cheerleading outfit was great, but it wasn't what he needed. He needed that bipolar redhead to hit him in the head for not figuring that out for such a long time. She was there for him from the very beginning. Their constant bickering was what gave him energy. Ash Ketchum was dumb enough not to notice that Misty Waterflower was what was missing all along, he did not notice until he lost one of the most important matches in his life.

"Misty, I miss you." He said as he stared down at the ferry ticket in his hands…

_Do you hear me?_

_I'm talking to you _

_Across the water across the deep blue ocean _

_Under the open sky oh my, baby I'm trying_

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* * *

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Misty was stressed. As the Cerulean gym leader, life was hard. Besides being in charge of battling cocky trainers, she also had to deal with bills, and manage all of her sister's shows. Sure she liked to wipe the arrogant smirks off the trainers, but constant batting was tiring for both her and her Pokemon. And all of those bill…she was never a big fan of math. And as manager for all of the water ballets, she had to keep all the perverted fans from stalking her sisters. But the Sensational Sisters never really gave her what she wanted: freedom. Misty had always loved traveling. Being on the road with Ash and Brock were the best days of her life. Staying at the gym did give her more experience in battling but she preferred roaming across the world. Now at the age of 16, Misty had reached the highest ranking of Kanto gym leaders. She had recently passed the level of Giovanni and was already recommended to the Elite Four. Now as one of the most important people in the Kanto League, Misty was known worldwide.

Although the fame kept Misty intact, she always flipped through monthly issues of "Trainer's Digest". Following Ash's journeys had already become a habit. She would smile proudly when she sees Ash getting a new badge. But when she sees a pretty girl beside him, she would scowl at the magazine and shred it to a million pieces. She didn't know exactly why, but that little green monster would always find a way to get to her.

After all those years of stalking Ash, Misty finally realized why she loved to hurt that dense idiot. She finally realized why she followed him for all those months like a crazed stalker. It wasn't because of her bike. It was because she loved him, not knowing that he loved her back. She missed him. It was like she could hear him.

_Boy I hear you in my dreams _

_I feel your whisper across the sea_

_I keep you with me in my heart _

_You make it easier when life gets hard_

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He stood there, in the pouring summer rain. It wasn't cold. But the weather was damp. With Pikachu on his shoulder, he sneezed loudly. The little electric mouse stumbled off his shoulder, and cursed in his own language. He then settled himself on the doormat, and attempted pathetically to reach for the doorbell. Without any luck, her cursed again and turned back to his trainer with a threatening thundershock at his feet. Ash was startled, but continued to stand there. He was fidgeting. It was obvious that he was nervous. But there was something that ran in his head over and over again, but he couldn't figure out why…

* * *

Misty heard a sneeze. A rather loud one that came from outside. She was in the kitchen, enjoying a pistachio flavored ice cream. After a long day of battling, she was annoyed at whoever that had the guts to come to her gym in the pouring rain. She sighed as she put down the August issue of "Trainer's Digest" that said that Ash Ketchum recently headed back to Kanto. She snorted at the thought of Ash coming to the gym to visit her.

With her cone still in hand, she brought her mallet with her and took her steps sloppily to the door, moping. She was ready to beat up the person that was to disturb her on a rainy Saturday afternoon. She flipped the lock and turned the handle violently and jerked the door open only to find her own jaw drop. He was standing there, in the rain, rummaging in his light jacket at her front door. Before she could say anything, Pikachu jumped right into her arms in glee with a delightful squeal of "Pikachupi".

In shock, Ash looked up and stared at her. He wanted to run up to her and hug her, but the mallet in her hands looked threatening enough for him to get rid of that thought. In the pouring summer rain, he just stood there, admiring his best friend and how much she has changed throughout his journeys in Sinnoh. Her flame-like hair was still tied up in that side ponytail, she was still taller than him but only by a smidge, she was in a simple pair of short jeans and in a loose yellow tank top, and she looked like a goddess.

"Ash…why are you staring at me?" Misty asked suddenly.

"Uh…"

"You're going to catch a cold you idiot! Now get in here before I go and drag you." Pikachu twitched his ears happily. He was glad that his Pikapi finally gets to be with his Pikachupi. It was like the old days.

"Uh…"

"Ash! Stop standing there! Get in here this instant. I'm going to make you some ginger ale just in case. Now come on!" Misty said as she gestured Ash to enter the gym with her hand that was holding the mallet. Pikachu darted right inside to find Misty's Pokemon. He settled himself with Azumarill who was contently napping on the couch.

The side of Ash's lips twitched up slightly into that same smirk he had on a few years ago. She was his best friend, and he knew just what to do to tick her off. "I don't think it would be edible" were the very words that erupted the renowned Misty volcano. It was just like the old days; steam came out of Misty's ears, her eyes were in flames that matched her hair, and Ash cowardly ran into the gym while being chased by the rampaging volcano and her mallet.

"Ash Ketchum get back here! You did not just insult my cooking before I even cook! You still owe me a bike!" It was just like the old days. But Ash didn't want it to be just like the old days. He wanted something to be different. He didn't just want her to be his best friend. But he still hasn't figured out what he wants her to be yet. After a while of running all around the gym, Ash found two large lumps on the top of his head, throbbing.

"The first one's for insulting me. The second one's for dripping water over the gym! You didn't even take off your damn muddy shoes! Mew! You're going to wipe all the floors, vacuum the carpet, wipe all the windows, and clean the pool while I cook a pot of ginger ale. Now chop chop." Misty ordered impatiently. Ash groaned exaggeratedly. He didn't mind doing a few chores, but an argument was necessary, just because he liked them.

"Why should I?" He asked childishly. Upon hearing this, Pikachu's ears perked up and he curled up into a ball on the couch. Sure he loved both his Pikapi and Pikachupi, but their arguments can get pretty intense.

"Why, you ask? Why? Mew! You made a mess in my gym, you made me mad, you ruine my only peaceful afternoon in months, and you owe me a bike! Doesn't that answer your question?" Misty fumed.

"I dun wanna." Ash retorted as he crossed his wet arms. He was trying to hide a smile, but it wasn't working so well. His cheeks that stilled dripped with water puffed out and he tried to cover it. But Misty's eyes were way too sharp…well not really.

"Oh I see. You're enjoying this aren't you? Mister Pokemon Master!" It was obvious that the last part was heavy with sarcasm.

"Hey! I'm not enjoying this. And just you wait, I will become the Pokemon Master."

_Snort._

"That wasn't nice."

"Is that all you've got? Pathetic."

"I – I've got plenty! It's just that, uh…um…oh right! I can't think of anything right now cuz my head hurts from standing in the rain for so long."

"Pshhhh. Dun blame the rain. It helps us grow crops. Without it, you'd probably be the first one to starve." Misty stuck out her tongue.

"Hey! I will not be the first one to starve!"

"Ha! You eat more than 10 failed dieting pigs together!"

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"Chuuuuuuuuuu!"

"PIKACHU! Why did you do that?" Both Ash and Misty said simultaneously.

"Pi pika pi pi chu! Pikapi pi pika Pikachupi! Pi pi pi! Pikachuuu!" Pikachu chattered animatedly. There were still sparks from his cheeks.

Ash raised his hands in defeat. "Ok ok! We get the point. No more fighting so you'll get your rest."

Misty decided not to hurt the electric mouse for her own safety and brushed her shirt.

"Yes Pikachu. We're sorry. Now if Ash would go cleaning, everything would be just fine." She said as she gave Ash a menacing glance that set him running to do the chores. "Wait! Change your shirt first! There's some dry ones in the gym locker. They're usually for the kids that come for summer camp, but knowing you height, you'd probably fit in them."

Ash ignored that and let out a low grumble. He headed to the pool, mumbling a few words that no one could make out. He slid on one of the faded white t-shirts with the Cerulean Gym logo on it and headed to work.

"Pi pika!" Pikachu said as he pumped his chest proudly like Tarzan. Then he disappeared somewhere into the gym as Misty started chopping the ginger. _Ginger, brown sugar, water…ha! This would be a piece of cake!_

Meanwhile, Ash quickly cleaned the pool with some help of Misty's Pokemon that pitied him, cleaned the windows also with help from Politoad, and started to vacuum the carpet. It was hard, for he never did chores at home. His mother was way too overprotective. But doing some work made him feel good because he was actually accomplishing something. He took his time, despite his impatient nature, but he really wanted Misty to be proud of him. He wanted to be proud of himself. Two hours later, he was finally done vacuuming. He headed to the kitchen to show off what he had done but decided to take out the trash first, for a better impression. To his surprise, on the top of the trashcan were his pictures from the magazines. They were all of him with other girls. Most of them were shredded or ripped, but he took out some of the better ones and mused over. One was with Angie, from the summer school. Another one was with Dawn, high-fiving during the Wallace Cup. Ash thought about it for a while, just standing there, and smiled. He finally understood. And he was happy about it.

He put the pictures back into the trashcan, and proceeded to take out the trash. He came back soon afterwards, grabbed his green backpack and entered the kitchen. Misty was there, stumbling over the pot. It was obvious that there were more than 10 bandages on her hands. Ash was shocked and walked over to look into the boiling pot only to find huge chunks of ginger and brown sugar stuck together. He gulped, knowing that he would soon have to drink all that.

"A – ash! You're done cleaning already? Mew, you're fast!" Misty said as she wiped her hands on her Horsea printed apron. "I'm just about done here, why don't you take a seat."

"Fast? Yup I'm fast. Speaking of fast, it took you more than five hours to make ginger ale?" Ash pulled out one of the wooden chairs at the dining table, facing Misty.

"Oh I see! You think I'm slow don't you?" Misty said hotly, pointing her roughly bandaged finger at him but quickly turned back as the pot fizzled. "Well, it's not my fault. I cut myself when I was cutting the ginger." Her face turned red. To avoid another argument or getting hurt, Ash shut his mouth and only let out a muffled "hmm…"

"Well, it's done now, and you're going to drink it all up. Now come and get it." She ordered while getting the thick, chunky substance out of the pot.

"Coming sir!" Only got Ash a bloodcurdling glare. He reached out for the bowl that sat on the counter beside the stove. He picked it up, and tried very hard not to gag. The ginger ale was…not like ginger ale. The brown sugar was in clunks and was a thick paste while the ginger was in the size of his mother's homemade cookies. Ash opened his to make an inappropriate comment that would probably get him killed but seeing the genuine smile on Misty's face made him shut it again. Instead, he slowly brought the bowl to his face and took a big gulp hoping it would be over soon but failed miserably. The chunks of "ale" spurted out of his mouth and splattered all over the clean, tile floor. He knew it was too late to save himself so why not die with his mouth not tasting like crap? So he ran to the sink and let water run on his tongue.

Misty was furious. Not only Ash made a mess in her kitchen, but he also made fun of her cooking. No one would dare to spit it out right away, they would usually make her happy and go puke like there's no tomorrow once they get out of her sight. But Ash was different, he hurt her pride. She would never, ever let him get away with it so she just pounced on him. But she hasn't thought it over. Ash Ketchum was not as wimpy and weak like he was 6 years ago. He's surprisingly grown some muscles. Even though she had hit him onto the ground, but it had taken a lot of strength and energy. She was exhausted.

"You're fat, you know that Ash?" she asked as she was panting on top of him on the cold floor.

"Psh. I'm not fat, you're just scrawny." He retorted back as he effortlessly got away from under her. It was way easier than before.

"You know, if I'm not tired right now, I'd beat you and your fat body to pulp." Misty held out her arm and pulled on Ash's shirt to prevent him from running away. They were quite built from swimming.

"Aw come on! Let go Misty!" He said as he tried to release Misty's hands from his shirt.

"Not unless you promise to clean up to mess you just made."

Ash hesitated for a moment, but agreed anyways. Misty used Ash's shirt and pulled herself up before she let go of him. Because of the sudden weight, Ash fell to the ground again.

"Hey!"

"Humph!" Misty walked to the sink and wet a towel and threw it at Ash. "Use this to wipe the floor."

"Fine. Be that way." Ash mumbled and began to wipe the ginger ale off the floor. Unknowingly, the plastic bowl that held the ginger ale somehow ended up on the floor. As Misty was fuming and pacing around the kitchen, she slipped on the unlucky bowl and landed right beside the hardworking Ash Ketchum. Ash heard the thump and a few curses that came from Misty's mouth and decided to look up. He didn't know if it was his good luck or misfortune, but his lips landed right on hers, his best friend's. But it only took them a few seconds to separate from each other. Both of them were blushing furiously.

"Hmm…That was my first kiss…" Ash said sheepishly. Trying to lighten the mood while he ducked under the table for protection, expecting Misty to erupt and pound him all the way to the emergency room. But instead, Misty just kept sitting there, face still red, but just sitting there.

"That was mine too…and you stole it…" She said softly. Misty was never good with this "romance" stuff. She followed Ash half way around the world and never confessed her feelings to him. She didn't even know how to turn Georgio down. That made Ash start to sweat. He was nervous. He had just kissed his best friend, whom he was in love with all a long and was afraid to admit. But it's now or never, he just had to confess his love for her.

"Mi – i – st….I – I – lo – o –ve." Ash too a deep breath. "you."

Misty's eyes widened. She was not expecting that.

"You do?" She asked, suddenly with more power in her voice. "You don't think I'm too scrawny? You don't think I nag you too much? You don't think I'm not as nice as the other girls like May or Dawn? You –"

"No." Ash said sternly. He was tired of hearing Misty say all that. He loved her for who she is, not for what is isn't. "I love you, Misty. And I'm lucky. I'm lucky to be in love with my best friend. I'm lucky to have been where I have been. I'm lucky to be coming home again." He sang. Even though he sang the lyrics off key, but Misty loved it from the bottom of her heart.

"I love you too Ash. From a long time ago." Misty said. She was smiling. "But, you'd better stop singing now. You just ruined a perfectly good song." What she said made Ash glad. He always thought that confessing his love to her would ruin their friendship. But he was wrong. They were both the same, except that the finally realized their love for each other…

_I'm lucky I'm in love with my best friend_

_Lucky to have been where I have been_

_Lucky to be coming home again_

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"You're leaving again?" Misty asked suddenly. She was enjoying a dip in the river that she and Ash had met in the Viridian Forest.

"Well, yeah." He said simply as he pulled himself up onto the edge of the riverbed. "I'm still aiming to become the Pokemon Master and I think traveling is necessary for me to reach that goal. But I'm hoping that you can come with me and Brock, just like the old days.

"I can't, even though I really want to. The results for the Elite Four is going to be mailed to me soon, and I really want to know if I made it. Ever since Lance is going to move on to be Champion, I've been working extra hard to get that spot in the Elite Four." Misty swam to where Ash was and settled there. Her feet whipped rhythmically in the cool water. "But I really want to go though. I'm really going to miss you."

Ash was half expecting for that answer. He was the one who blocked her out of his life for so long. He can't expect her to be free all the time. She's a gym leader, not his personal coach anymore. He needed her to be there for him. He needed her to cheer him on, bring him down, and hit him on the head once in a while. He needed all that just because he loved her.

"Well, I guess I'll be traveling without you. But look on the bright side, that way, I'd be able to hit on girls without you either hurting me or scaring the girl away."

"…ASH KETCHUM! How dare you! After all these years, you've grown so…ugh!" Misty was mad all right. Besides carrots, peppers, and bugs, seeing Ash with another girl would be her worst fear. It wasn't her fault. She was born with a jealous nature.

"Geez Mist, I was joking. I told, you already. I – I lo – o – ve ---"

"Say it Ashy boy, say it."

"Iloveyou!" His face was beet red. It wasn't easy for someone as proud as him to admit his love for someone else.

"That wasn't so hard was it? Now you're a step closer in becoming the Pokemon Master." Misty said thoughtfully. She was staring at the cirrus clouds in the bright sky.

"Seriously Misty, I've gotta say this before I go." He took a big breath. "I want you to know that wherever I go, I'd be thinking about you. That's because if you're not with me, anywhere I go would be nowhere."

Misty blinked at him and stared at him wide eyed. But eventually grinned. "Oh Ash. That's so sweet! I'll always wait for you, you know that. And I know that being at the gym wouldn't be as fun as traveling with you and Brock, but I promise that I'll always be cheering you on. No matter where you are. And no, no more sarcastic replies on that one." Ash laughed and began to splash water on Misty.

"You know what Mist? We're going to make the best of this day because who knows when we will see each other again." A genuine grin was plastered on his wet face.

"Of course Mister Pokemon Master. I know just how to have fun…" Her voice was low and mischievous. It made Ash shiver. "Race ya!"

Ash was caught by surprise but like always, he took the challenge.

"It's on!"

_They don't know how long it takes _

_Waiting for a love like this _

_Every time we say goodbye _

_I wish we had one more kiss _

_I'll wait for you I promise you, I will_

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At age 16, Ash Ketchum figured out something. And it was something important. He was lucky to be in love with his best friend. He was lucky to been where he has been. And most of all, he was lucky to be home again, the home of his heart.

_I'm lucky we're in love in every way _

_Lucky to have stayed where we have stayed _

_Lucky to be coming home someday_

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_**FIN**

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There you have it, my first one-shot/songfic. Anyways, I hoped you enjoyed it. I've always loved this song, and it's so pokeshippy. If you don't know this song, I recommend you to search it up on youtube or something.

Some of you might have noticed what I did here. I tried not to make the characters OOC. Ash would never be a hopeless romantic and Misty wouldn't be all mushy mushy about stuff like that. They're better off biting each other's heads off.

I'd like to thank my friends FrostyShadows and InnocenceByHeart for supporting me and helping me. I really appreciate it.

For all the lovely readers who are also reading my "Promise Under the Sakura Tree", I'm almost done the next chapter. Thanks for being patient.

~Hoppip


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